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UGA contributes report on radiological security to Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague

To support the third Nuclear Security Summit, the University of Georgia Center for International Trade and Security has released a report in cooperation with Indonesia's National Nuclear Energy Agency. "The Human Dimensions of Security for Radioactive Sources" was distributed at the summit in The Hague March 24-25.

CITS and Indonesia's National Nuclear Energy Agency developed their report to provide practical advice for users of radioactive sources that are vulnerable to being diverted for malicious purposes, on the basis of methodologies and documents from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"The report's premise is that radioactive sources can dramatically improve healthcare standards, contribute to economic development, and help stabilize food supplies," said William W. Keller, director of CITS. "However, complacency among the people responsible for safety and security can undermine the current international legal framework and national security regulations."

This is the third report that CITS has released in support of the Nuclear Security Summit process. CITS published "Nuclear and Radiological Security Culture: A Post-Seoul Agenda" in 2012 and "Nuclear Security and Nuclear Counterterrorism: Streamlining and Updating the Legal Framework" in 2010-in connection with the Nuclear Security Summits held in Seoul and Washington, D.C. respectively.

The Center for International Trade and Security is a unit within the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. CITS publishes research and holds workshops for practitioners and officials all over the world on securing technologies and materials that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction. For more information, see http://cits.uga.edu.